Friday, February 6, 2009

Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro

Last night I had one of the best meals i've had in Ottawa. My husband worked late and by the time I finished walking the dog, going out to eat seemed like the best option. Since i've been doing my blog, I find we try to hit restaurants we've never been to before. It's hard to do when you've got a few favourites. I had been here once before, a couple of years ago for lunch. I remembered they had a lot of unique dishes, and since I haven't reviewed them yet we decided to eat here. I'm so glad we did. The decor is very warm and inviting with aboriginal art on the walls. This is Ottawa's first aboriginal style bistro and I have to say, the food is absolutely amazing. As soon as we sat down they served us a bowl of popcorn, very fun. And you know most people are hungry before they arrive at a restaurant, so a little snack upon arrival is always nice. They also brought some Banik, an aboriginal bread normally rolled out flat but they make it more into the shape of a roll and serve it with a delicious herb butter. We ordered a glass of the Malbec from Argentina, very nice wine. And then here's where I go nuts – my app and main. I started off with the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Christophes mushrooms “bolognaise” and sage cream, absolutely divine. Then I decided to order the Potlatch as my main, which was a tasting of “In-Betweens”. This plate offered the queso fresco, which is a fried in-house made lemon and thyme cheese with Bryson farm roasted beets; rabbit dumplings – crisp rabbit filled dumplings with avocado salad and honey mustard aioli on top (I actually omitted the avocado because of my stupid allergy); a country paté made of pheasant, duck and wild boar served with a late harvest cabernet grape relish; in-house smoked trout – this was one of my favourite items, so smokey and so fabulous; and last but not least, the absolute best thing on my plate, a venison terrine on garlic toast that melted in your mouth in seconds. This item wasn't even on the menu for that dish so it was a thrilling surprise. The flavours pouring out of the food was sensational, I got happier and happier with every bite. I seriously did not want it to end. My husband was also very happy with his meal, slow cooked elk ribs from the Elk Ranch, served with celery root and potato puree and wild greens. I also tried it, of course. The potatoes were incredible and the elk was very moist and succulent. A convivial atmosphere, delightful service and conservative prices make this place the best of it's kind. I would highly recommend this spot! Starters range from $8 to $10, in-betweens from $10 to $22 and the mains $18-$36. Portions are also very generous.